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Google To Take 'Apple-Like' Control Over Nexus Phones (droid-life.com)
Soulskill writes: According to a (paywalled) report in The Information, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wants the company to take greater control over development of their Nexus smartphones. When producing Nexus phones, Google has always partnered with manufacturers, like Samsung, LG, and HTC, who actually built the devices. Rather than creating a true revenue stream, Google's main goal has been to provide a reference for what Android can be like without interference from carriers and manufacturers. (For example, many users are frustrated by Samsung's TouchWiz skin, as well as the bloatware resulting from deals with carriers.
But now, Google appears to want more control. The report indicates Google wants to do a better job of competing throughout the market. They want to compete with Apple on the high end, but also seem concerned that manufacturers haven't put enough effort into quality budget phones. The article at Droid-Life argues, "We all know that Nexus phones will never be household items until Google puts some marketing dollars behind them. Will a top-to-bottom approach finally push them to do that?"
But now, Google appears to want more control. The report indicates Google wants to do a better job of competing throughout the market. They want to compete with Apple on the high end, but also seem concerned that manufacturers haven't put enough effort into quality budget phones. The article at Droid-Life argues, "We all know that Nexus phones will never be household items until Google puts some marketing dollars behind them. Will a top-to-bottom approach finally push them to do that?"
"For example, many users are frustrated by Samsung's TouchWiz skin"
Are they?
Are you sure about this?
Have you seen the sales numbers for Samsung devices?
What percentage of users actually even KNOW what the hell TouchWiz is?
How many of those whining about TouchWiz have actually USED a Samsung phone for more than 20 minutes?
It's not perfect, but considering what stock google looked and felt like for the first few years (actually most of them) it's VASTLY superior. Handy shortcuts like swipe left on a name to dial, swipe right on a name to SMS them
The dialler menu didn't look bland, blank, non shaded, no dividing lines to differentiate where buttons begin an end. Totally flat, bullshit "clean" look, utterly awful.
This was their in call screen at one point
http://www.iwillfolo.com/wordp...
Look at it.
LOOK
NO fucking text labels, what does what?
The hangup button is DIRECTLY TOUCHING all the other buttons you may want to press while on call. It'S HUGE and easily accidentally hit.
Did I mention the lack of dividing lines for the buttons? and again, no text labels? What does what? You can GUESS for most but with text you KNOW.
Utterly atrocious.
No TouchWiz isn't an abomination at all, it's got a couple of small issues but it's vastly superior to the stock google experience, HOWEVER nerds on forums love to parrot what other clued up nerds say. It's literally "cool to hate TouchWiz"
The amount of people I've seen bag touchwiz who own an Apple phone or HTC and never a Samsung is mind boggling.
This is very similar to the HTC and Apple dipshits saying "Samsung plasticky yuck yuck!!!" "Samsung feels cheap!" these morons don't own a Samsung phone -but Samsung changed their phones for these dipshits, despite them never owning a Samsung or being happy with their HTC. Well congrats fuckstains, now ALL the phones are the same, metal body, super rigid, easier to crack.
All my plastic based Samsungs have been super light, marginally flexible and less likely to take damage when dropped due to less inertia, slightly more give. But all phones are the same now and the goons who got their way won't change, they were Apple / HTC fans in the first place.
So help me fucking god jesus christ lord in heaven if you assholes whine about the physical home button and I lose that, I'll go ballistic. Can we at least keep that? Please? I do NOT want a button I can't put my finger on, without it recognising it as a press.